After more than a century of extracting coal, miners in Appalachia now must cut through more and more sandstone rock in order to access the region’s dwindling coal reserves. This leads to elevated exposure to silica dust, which is 20 times more toxic than coal dust. The result is that deadly and debilitating black lung disease, once thought to be fading into the past, is now at epidemic levels in Central Appalachia, and it is afflicting miners as young as their thirties.

In April 2024, the Mine Safety and Health Administration finalized a new rule that would cut the allowable levels of silica dust in mines by half. This protection was supposed to go into effect in April 2025, but that date was repeatedly pushed back by courts and the Trump administration. Last fall, after months of inaction, the administration announced that it will continue to delay implementation of this crucial workplace protection while it “reconsiders” the rule itself – a shameful betrayal of American workers who are trying to make a living and support their families without suffering and dying as a result.

In recent years, grassroots action has repeatedly won results for miners with or at risk of black lung. Together, we have secured funding for medical care and disability benefits, and we defended federal black lung screening and prevention programs against sweeping budget cuts. It is time to take action again.

Contact your senators and representatives to tell them to stand up for the health of American workers by pressuring the Mine Safety and Health Administration to keep and implement the 2024 silica rule.